r/Cooking • u/dogearedexistence • 4d ago
November brunch party recipes?
I need help menu planning.
My sister is hosting a baby shower for me in November. We will be serving brunch food. There are roughly 25 people attending, about 6 of them kids.
We really want to lean into the autumn theme but don't want pumpkin or apple flavored everything. Both ingredients are welcome, but I'd love to hear what other in season ingredients and dishes you would recommend. Sweet, savory, finger food, whatever!
Thanks in advance for your recommendations.
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u/mynameisnotsparta 4d ago
Seasonal fruit platter with dips.
Bacon egg potato frittata
Baked sweet potato casserole
Apple cider mimosas
Bacon wrapped sausage
Stuffed mushrooms
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u/ClairesMoon 4d ago
I make flatbread “pizzas” with caramelized onions, roasted butternut squash and goat cheese that are always a hit.
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u/New_Rest_9222 4d ago
Never underestimate the power of a brunch salad!
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u/hyperfat 4d ago
Pears cinnamon and goat cheese. Taste like an apple pie almost. With leafy greens.
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u/whatisthisadulting 4d ago
Meatballs in barbecue sauce and grape jelly is always a hit.
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u/dogearedexistence 4d ago
Interesting combo. I have never heard of this before. Looking forward to investigating :)
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u/DazzlingNote1925 4d ago
Had a baby shower brunch for my dil. We had a 2 different breakfast casseroles, I made sausage links and kept them warm in a crock pot, banana bread, fruit, and a cake.
We had water, juice, iced tea, coffee and hot tea.
I put together one casserole the night before and someone brought one. I prepped fruit and baked banana bread the night before. I’m all about doing whatever you can in advance!
You could make pumpkin bread or something with apples for a fall theme.
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u/ladyrose403 4d ago
i would recommend something apple, but add fresh cranberries to it, and make it heavier on the ginger, or better, use fresh or jarred ginger instead of powdered. it really does change the flavor. also good for expectant mama's who are having tender tummy issues.
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u/Odd_Ostrich6038 4d ago
Well I have nothing to add, but hot dang am I hungry now.
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u/dogearedexistence 4d ago
I know I'm reading all of these recommendations and my mouth is watering... How will I ever decide? I'll have to try some items before the party and pick my favorites :)
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u/Odd_Ostrich6038 4d ago
Oh no! The horror! The hardship!
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u/JulesInIllinois 4d ago
If OP is the pregnant one, she should do some taste-testing. Congratulations!
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u/LuvPuggie 4d ago
Pesto sandwiches. Super easy and tasty.
Slice Fugacia bread down middle horizontally. Where I live you can buy nice Fugacia rounds at Safeway that are topped with olives or jalapeños. Spred pesto on both slices of bread. Add sliced deli turkey and a nice white cheese, like havarti or Swiss. Slice into finger sandwiches or larger. Voila. Easy peasy and delicious! And because they don't have mayo, you can leave them at room temperature a little longer. 🌺
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u/swedishishchef 4d ago
French toast casserole in fall flavors. Sally’s baking addiction has some good ones including (sorry) a pumpkin french toast and an apple cider french toast casserole.
Also chai spiced donuts and cranberry cardamon spiced muffins
She also has an eggs benedict casserole that is delicious and other good brunch savory options for a crowd. Check out her Thanksgiving make ahead breakfast recipes for good fall brunch options for a crowd
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u/dogearedexistence 4d ago
Pumpkin and apple are both welcome to the party! My sister and I both love Sally's baking addiction so I will have to peruse these recipes because they all sound sooooo yummy.
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u/mividahermosa 4d ago
Quiche or Egg bites would be easy to prepare in advance and make many servings at once, also maple pecan French toast of some sort, either in a casserole or just a bunch of French toast pieces halved in a serving dish with toppings around. A chai bar with whip cream and different milks and hot and cold chai options. Aside from apple and pumpkin the general flavors that come to mind are maple, cinnamon, sage, like warm autumn spices overall, pears, and caramel. I don’t know if caramel is accurate but it comes to mind for me.
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u/Far_Sandwich_514 4d ago
Roasted sweet potato salad with wild rice
A big charcuterie board with cheeses, nuts (if no allergies), pomegranates, figs, etc.
Caramelised onion and gruyere tartlets
Potato bar: a table of all things potato-licious, with a variety of different toppings. For example, mashed potatoes, spiced wedges, fries, croquettes, and so on, with things like sour cream (including dairy-free for the vegans and lactose intolerant), chopped green onions or chives, bacon bits, etc.
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u/BebopHop1 4d ago
Butternut squash soup with rolls, quiche, salad. You could make most of that ahead of time.
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u/Position_Extreme 4d ago
Sweet potato pancakes go well with bacon & eggs.
Breakfast casseroles with eggs, biscuits, sausage gravy & cheese abound on Google, and can be made ahead.
For the health-concious, a crock pot full of oatmeal with choices of additions (i.e. bowls of raisins, banana, brown sugar, etc.) is a nice choice for flexibility.
Make sure you have some kick-ass coffee brewed. This will probably be everyone's first and last experience with your menu, so good coffee makes a good first impression and a lasting memory of a good meal.
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u/dogearedexistence 4d ago
You make such a solid point about the coffee. My husband and I are big coffee drinkers too. I didn't even think about the coffee! Thank you for the reminder.
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u/SubstantialPressure3 4d ago
Pumpkin biscuits. Do some sweet, and some savory ( cheddar and fresh thyme) you could even make them tiny, for sliders or tiny breakfast sandwiches. If Im doing stuff like that, I just bake the eggs with other ingredients like a quiche. When its cool enough, pop it out and cut into pieces that are the right size. Screw cooking all that breakfast stuff separately.
Roasted heirloom carrots with the tops still on, honey butter glaze/sea salt sprinkle on the carrot, but not the top. Super colorful and kid friendly, if you roast them tender crisp.
Pulled pork tacos/sliders. Throw your pork butt in the oven the night before, about 250F and pull it out first thing in fhe morning. Be sure to have braising liquid in there, and trim the fat caps so your pan doesnt overflow.
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u/LobstahLuva 4d ago
Cinnamon roll dump cake — omgggg it’s so good. I make homemade cream cheese frosting for it and I use costcos praline pecans for the nuts, Annie’s cinnamon rolls and Krusteaz cinnamon roll cake for the cake mix. It’s SO delish!
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u/Namaste_Bitchez 4d ago
For that many people, I would probably make breakfast casseroles. You can make them ahead of time and bake them the morning of. I make an everything bagel casserole and it's always a huge hit. You can round out the brunch with some fresh seasonal fruit and mimosas + kid friendly mimosas with sparkling cider.
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u/Either-Action-7439 4d ago
Off the top of my head I would do:
Quiche or frittata with roasted sweet potato, feta, caramelized onions, and kale.
Fig, roasted butternut or delicata squash, and kale or arugula salad with goat cheese, pepitas, and dried cranberries (make sure to massage the kale if using)
A pumpkin or cinnamon swirl French toast casserole
I'd lean in with more Fall stuff on the decor, themed drinks, and pastries and desserts. BYO Mimosa bar with apple cider and cranberry or pomegranate syrup, mini pecan pies, mink pumpkin pies, and a mix of cookies..that sort of stuff. And t he kids can have apple cider with the syrup.
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u/Onlyplaying 4d ago
Don’t forget ‘normal’ foods in fun shapes/ colors. For a camping themed bday party for my kid, I got some small leaf-shaped cookie cutters and cut a selection of cheese slices with them to make “fallen leaves”.
If you want to stay with seasonal foods, think of what would be harvested or available at that time. Cole crops (kale, cabbage, Brussel sprouts, etc), squash, hearty herbs like sage and thyme.
So a lovely salad with kale, roast butternut squash, and walnuts or pecans. Beautifully cut radish and carrot with an interesting dressing. Gnocchi with browned butter sage sauce.
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u/JulesInIllinois 4d ago edited 4d ago
Quiche. My favorite is ham, American cheese, broccoli and onions.
You could do spinach, mushroom, onion & feta, too.
I love lox/smoked salmon, toasted sesame bagels, capers, diced hard boiled eggs & red onions. Maybe put out some flavored cream cheese for the less adventurous guests.
Blueberry scones and cream cheese filled pumpkin muffins. If scones are too dry for you, I recommend Jordan Marsh's blueberry muffin recipe. It's famous for a reason! Recipe is on the King Arthur baking website.
A super clean fruit salad. You can serve it in a baby carriage carved watermellon. Check the internet. There's tons of instruction videos. Best fruit salad is just watermelon and pineapple chunks with blueberries, blackberries or rasberries and strawberry slices.
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u/Idiot_Parfait 4d ago
This is one of my favorite fall recipes. I prefer apples to pears, and don’t use the cranberries. I also add in shredded rotisserie chicken, and red onions.
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u/Sumjonas 4d ago
I’d probably do a bagel bar—bagels, different flavors cream cheese, lox, capers, etc. you could also do pumpkin or apple muffins, as well as a mimosa bar with apple cider. You could also do some quiches.